Glossary

Academy

An organisation of learning, usually only found in larger clans. Almost all clans school their young, but an Academy also provides training for Novices, adolescents or young adults seeking to become Initiates of the Way.

Aligners of the Way

Secret sect entrusted with making changes to the Way

Calculator

A dolphin trained to perform complex mental computations or collations while in a trance like state. They are frequently used to process the data amassed by Seekers or stored by Starwriters.

Clan

A pod or social unit of dolphins.

Cleaner

Shark.

Cold One, the

Death, oblivion. Referred to in the feminine form.

Cycle of Life

The ecosystem. Usually meaning the environment in balance.

Darkening Dive

A dive to the great depths with no intention to return. Usually a form of self administered euthanasia.

Den-tew-ron

Mythical character representing the first human.

Dreamweaver

A female dolphin who directs a Starwriters’ ceremony, usually leading the song(s). She provides the conditions for the Starwriters to embed the data into their subconsciousness or to extract it.

First level of consciousness

A being that has achieved this is described as being “at one with the Universal”, a state that Initiates of the Way strive to achieve.

Gathering

A meeting of many or all clans.

Grand Council

A meeting of the leaders of all of the clans in a region. Usually held at Gatherings.

Great Alluvion

A cataclysmic event where a vast amount of trapped fresh water was released into the seas during an “Ice Age”. Although a number of these events occurred over time, dolphins refer to one particularly large event by this name and count years from that point, which was approximately 13,000 years ago. The bulk of their recorded history dates from since that time.

Great Wanderers

Whales.

Ilia

The seven categories in the Shades of Blue describing the quality, direction and intensity of light. They are interpreted as indicating the degree, volume, or speed of events.

Initiates of the Way

A trained scholar who has successfully graduated from an Academy. A dolphin who is “ready to begin learning” according to the Way as they have begun the journey towards first level of consciousness.

Inner Guard

A ‘Guardian’ term, referring to those dolphins selected to protect the clan leader and perform the most important missions.

Jeii

Short form of address for a teacher, or sometimes for a respected senior figure. Often also used as a suffix to a teacher’s name, eg “Cloud Passing-Jeii”.

Kark-Du

The leader of the ‘Guardian’ clan.

Ka-Tse

Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncates).

Krakar

Orca or Killer Whale (Orcinus orca)

Krumas

The three environmentally derived basic types of water colour in the Shades of Blue. They form a kind of background against which additional layers of meaning can be applied.

Novices

Older trainees in an Academy who are aiming to become Initiates of the Way.

Ocean

Earth.

Prime Mother/Father

Leader of a Clan.

Seeker

A dolphin trained to observe, measure, deduce, hypothesise and experiment.

Senx

Often simply means the Sun, but can also mean the origin of all life, or the source of all future life.

Shades of Blue, the

A traditional system for categorising the hues of water, the effect of diffusing suspended matter, and the quality and movement of the perceived light. The resulting combinations are assigned meanings. The Shades are usually used as an aid to meditation. Many dolphins believe they can also be used to indicate future events.

Signature call

Made by dolphins when approaching others: eg: “It is I, Touches the Sky!” If it is anticipated that those addressed are strangers the caller’s clan name is usually appended.

Starwriter

A female dolphin trained to store vast amounts of data in her subconsciousness. The data is stored or accessed in a trance like state. Unique movements of stars or planets and specific songs are typically used as mental triggers to aid this process.

T’ret

Mythical character representing the first dolphin.

Tonellas

The nine divisions in the Shades of Blue representing the varying hues of the Krumas. The Tonellas are used to indicate direction, location, sequencing of events, and external factors.

Universal, the

The ecosystem, everything.

Voice of Change

A Councillor responsible for considering the need for alterations to the traditional means of responding to situations. To recommend changes or conservatism as required based on his or her understanding of the facts.

Voice of the Others

A Councillor responsible for considering the needs of all other species and speaking on their behalf where appropriate.

Voice of the Unborn

A Councillor responsible for considering the needs of the future generations of dolphins and speaking on their behalf where appropriate.

Voice of Truth

A Councillor responsible for determining the truth in matters of dispute, who is special chosen for their ability to dispassionately recognise essential truths.

Voice of Youth

A Councillor who is responsible for considering the needs of the younger generations of dolphins and speaking on their behalf where appropriate.